Tack puller or pliers



Sept. 8, 1931. F. R. WHITE max FULLER 0R PLIERS Filed June 26 ii'e,

Etanklin R. @M/

Patented Sept. 8, 1931 UNETED STATES PTENT OFFICE FRANKLIN R. WHITE, OF WATER-BURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE PATENT BUTTON COMPANY, OF \VATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- NECTICUT TACK FULLER on PIIERS Application filed June 26,

head which may be one of many different designs and is designed to receive a tack or fastener that is driven up through the cloth and into the button head where it is mutilated and ammed within the button head to thereby hold the button head tightly to the cloth.

It might also be mentioned that these tack buttons are applied to the cloth by. what is known as a button attaching machine, that is, the button heads are placed in one hopper 2.0 of the machine While the tacks are placed in another hopper. The machine thcn properly feeds the button head to the cloth and the tack beneath the same, after which the tack is driven up through the cloth into the button a head where it is mutilated to thus tightly grip the button head to the cloth and tack.

Now these tack buttons are applied in a very rapid manner and it often happens that the operator in his haste will improperly .3 track the cloth and the button will be wrongly positioned on the cloth or the tack will miss the cloth and be jammed. up in the button head, which heretofore has meant a loss of the button.

The present invention, therefore, contemplates a tack puller of special design, wherein an operator may place the specially formed jaws of this tack puller over the tack head and extract the tack from'the button head with nearly a straight pull, so as to thus not mutilate or destroy the button head. The button head may then be again placed in the hopper and again used with a new tack or fastener.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a tack puller in the form of a pair of pliers with the nose of the tack puller provided with two undercut jaws, so that'substantially. the entire tack head may be grasped in a chamber between the jaws. The

1929. Serial No. 373,787.

face or nose of the tack puller is also so formed that the fulcrum point is in close proximity thereto, so that the leverage on the pull will be as great as possible.

Still another object of the invention is as to provide a tack puller of the plier type wherein the face or nose of the same is substantially a fiat surface, and wherein the nose or jaws are undercut to form wedge portions so that as the tack head is grasped, these portions will be wedged under the head of the tack, after which the tack puller may be forced downwardly and thus extract the mutilated tack from the button head.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a tack puller wherein the adjacent faces of the-jaws cannot be closed so tightly that they will cut into the prong of the tack, as should the tack prong be cut ofi from the head, the function of the tack puller would be completely lost.

In other words, the tack puller is so designed that it may remove the tack from the button head, but it will be impossible to cut the prong in half no matter how tightly the jaws are pressed toward each other.

lViththese and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain new and novel arrangements and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

Referring now to the drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the tack puller, parts being broken away for the sake of clearness, a button head and tack being shown in section and the dotted lines showing the tack puller in its closing position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in elevation,

a part of the aws being broken away for the sake of clearness, a button and tack being shown in section and the aws being in their closed position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the jaws gripped about the tack and showing the relatively straight pull for withdrawing the tack; V

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; e

Fig. 5 is a side elevation, the dotted lines showing the opening in the near jaw and showing the spring for normally holding the jaws apart; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of a notched plate showing how the button is to be held when the tack puller is used to extract the tack from the button.

At the outset, it might be mentioned that the handles of the tack puller are only fragmentarily shown, but it is understood that they may be of the usual type so that they may be conveniently grasped by the hands of the operator.

Referring now more specifically to the several views and for the moment to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the tack puller comprises a handle 1 with the hub section. 2 and the jaw 3 which is cooperatingly fitted wi h the like handle 4, a hub plate 5 (see Fig. 5), and the jaw 6. A locking pin 7 passes through the hub sections and, as may be seen in Fig. 5, a small spring 8 fits within the small chamber 9 centrally of the hub sections. Qne end 10 of the spring is hooked in the hub section 5, while the other end of the spring is hooked in the hub section 2 to thereby hold the spring in place. With the exception of the ends of the jaws, the pliers or tack puller so far described is similar to the many forms of pliers in use.

Now referring to the handles 1 and 4., it will be seen that thereon are the respective ugs 11, which are of such length that when the handles are compressed and the lugs contact, the jaws 3 and 6 will be slightly spaced apart, as may be clearly seen in Figs. 2 and 4. The purpose of this is so that the aws 3 and 6 can never be so cc-mpresscd that they will bite into the prong of the tack when rcmoving the tack from the button head.

Looking at Fig. 4 for the moment, it will be seen that the outer faces 12 and 13 of the two jaws are rectangular in shape and substantially square. it will also be seen from Fig. 2 that when these two jaws are in their closed position, there is but a slight deviation from a horizontal plane and, in fact, they may be so designed that when closed they are perfectly flat across their outer surfaces.

The respective corners 14 and 15 may be slightly rounded so that when either corner is used as a fulcrum point, it will present a rounded surface rather than a sharp edge. The outer contour of the two jaws may be as shown in Fig. 2 or might be of other desired contour, as the gist of the invention is the manner in which the inner adjacent faces of the jaws are formed together with the outer faces of the jaws.

Referring now to the aws 3 and 6 and first to the jaw 3, it will be seen that on its inner face 16 and near its upper edge, there is cut out a semi-ellipsoidal chamber 17, the cutout portion or chamber narrowing in depth at its inner extremity, as at 18, to thus form the wedge-like plate or part 19. In the same manner, the jaw 6 is provided on its inner face 20 with the semi-ellipsoidal cut-out portion 21 so as to form the wedge-like plate 22.

WVhen the two aws are forced together, the two semi-ellipsoidal chambers 17 and 22 will form a substantially ellipsoidal chamber, as may be seen in Fig. 4.

Now in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, I have shown a tack button 23 in section and have shown a tack or fastener 24 with its prong driven up within the hub of the button while the tack head 25 may be seen in the several views.

When it is desired to extract the tack from the button head, the button head is placed within an upright slot 26 in a small plate 27, which plate may be on the front of a buttonattaching machine (not shown), so that the head will. be held against the rear surface of the plate and the tack head will extend in front of the plate and the plate then used as a fulcrum point. Now the two handles 1 and 4 are then compressed about the tack head and during the compression of the jaws, the small wedge-like plates or parts 19 and 22 will force themselves between the bottom surface of the hub and the under surface of the tack head, the tack head fitting snugly within the two semi-ellipsoidal chambers 17 and 21 or, in other words, within the now substantially ellipsoidal chamber formed by two adjacent jaws.

As heretofore mentioned, the lugs 11 will not let the edges of the adjacent jaws out into the tack head, but will straddle the same, as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

Although I have shown in Fig. 3 the tack puller being operated to one side, it will be understood that this view is simply for the purpose of clearness as, in reality, the button will be in the upright plate, as shown in Fig. 6, and the puller will be forced downwardly. The puller by having a relatively flat face or nose will provide a fixed fulcrum point when the pliers are either pulled towards or away from the operator, thus making it possible to withdraw the tack in more nearly a straight line than would otherwise be the case.

By so forming the tack pull-er, it will prevent any mutilation of the hub of the button or the die within the button, if the button is so provided, and after the tack'is removed the button head may again be thrown up into the hopper of the button attaching machine and again fed to the cloth.

Thus, by providing a tack puller of this construction, button heads which have been wrongly positioned on the articles to which they are being atteached and, therefore, have to be removed or buttons that miss the cloth altogether when being attached and which have heretofore been wasted may now be utilized, thus efiecting a great saving.

From the foregoing, it will be'seen that I have provided a tack puller that is especially adapted for use in the button attaching industry and by cutting out the chambers, shown in the respective jaws, practically the entire tack head is encased, so that there is very little chance for destroying the tack head and leaving the prong within the button head. Furthermore, there is no possibility of the jaws cutting through the prong and thus leaving the prong within the button head.

It might be mentioned that after a tack is once embedded in the button head, it is very difllcult, with the ordinary tool, to remove the same on account of the prong of the tack be ing purposely deformed and mutilated to tightly hold the tack and button head to gether.

Lastly, it will be seen that by forming the outer faces of the jaws as shown, nearly a direct pull may be had on the tack to thus prevent destruction of the button head.

It will be understood-that the button head and tack, as well as the tack puller, are shown on an enlarged scale for the clearness of illustration as, in reality, these button heads and tacks are relatively small.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A tack puller comprising two cooperating handles each provided with a jaw on its end, the outer faces of said jaws being substantially parallel. throughout their length when the jaws are closed and free from protuberances, the inner adjacent face of each jaws presenting substantially a flat surface, the said jaws each provided on its inner adj acent face with a small cut-out portion, each of said chambers narrowing in depth from its outer face to its innermost extremity to thereby form the outer edges of the chambers wedge-like in cross section, the wedgelike portions adapted to be forced under the head of a tack and to hold the tack head in said. chambers, the flat outer face of the jaw also adapted to act as a closely adjacent fulcrum when said tack is to be extracted.

5. A tack puller comprising handles and jaws, the inner face of each jaw having a semi-ellipsoidal chamber formed therein, said chambers sloping respectively from its outer edge downwardly to its inner wall to thereby form a wedge-like portion, said chambers being oppositely positioned when the jaws are closed, means for preventing the tight closure of said chambers and the outer face of each jaw being substantially in a horizontal plane whereby a tack may be extracted in substantially a straight pull.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRANKLIN R. WHITE.

jaw having a small chamber formed therein I and the said jaws when closed adapted to hold the head of a tack in said chamber.

2. A tack puller comprising two cooperating handles each provided with a jaw on its end, each of said jaws provided with a small semi-ellipsoidal chamber on its inner face to thereby provide a substantially circular chamber when the jaws are closed and the outer surfaces of the jaws being unbroken, said chamber adapted to receive the head of a tack, and means for holding the jaws slightly apart even when the jaws are compressed to their fullest extent. Y

3. A tack puller comprising cooperating handles and jaws at the ends thereof, the outer faces of said jaws being substantially flat throughout their width and breadth, a chamber formed near the upper edge of each jaw and said chamber decreasing in. width from the center of the chamber to the sides thereof to thereby form wedge-shaped portions directly beneath the outer faces of the jaws, the said chambers forming a substantially ellipsoidal chamber when the aws are closed to thereby receive and nearly encircle the head of a tack, and means for preventing a tight closure of the jaws.

4. A pair of pliers, the outer faces of the 

